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  • TV Series: Dollhouse
  • Episode: Epitaph Two: Return (Series Finale)
  • Starring: Eliza Dushku, Olivia Williams, Fran Kranz, Tahmoh Penikett, Enver Gjokaj, Dichen Lachman, Felicia Day, Summer Glau, Alan Tudyk
  • Written By: Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, Andrew Chambliss
  • Directed By: David Solomon
  • Network: Fox
  • Series: Dollhouse

Dollhouse: : Epitaph Two: Return Review

The final episode of the short-live yet cult-fave Dollhouse

By Kurt Anthony Krug     January 30, 2010


Dollhouse Review(2009).
© Fox/Bob Trate

 

After being pre-empted last week in lieu of the Haiti fund-raising special, the final episode of Dollhouse finally gets aired.
 
If you didn’t watch “Epitaph One” from the first season DVD set, you were in the dark about a few things, especially since the dark future shown in “Epitaph One” comes true, making the future shown in The Road Warrior look optimistic. However, the “previously” clips did you justice if you didn’t watch that particular episode.
 
It would’ve nice if this series finale would’ve been two hours. It would’ve given the creators time to explain a little more what happened about 2010 and 2020, particularly how Echo (Eliza Dushku) and Alpha (Alan Tudyk) became allies, not to mention the rise of the various factions (Actuals, tech-heads). Speaking of Alpha, his off-screen send-off seemed anti-climatic, especially since it’s unclear what happens to him. Also, the fate of Whiskey (Amy Acker) from “Epitaph One” was never revealed. Also, what happens to Mr. Dominic (Reed Diamond), who was put back into the Attic? Is he still there?
 
That said, the writing team of Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, and Andrew Chambliss, aided and abetted by director David Solomon hit all the beats, given the time-constraints they had to work with. Creator Joss Whedon has been absent from the writing and directing credits; it’s too bad he couldn’t contribute any more episodes besides just overseeing everything. Nonetheless, his brother and sister-in-law do an admirable job.
 
This episode had plenty of good quotes:
 
  • “We’re lost, we’re not gone” – Caroline (Adair Tishler, who was in the final season of Charmed), who has the personality of Echo’s alter ego imprinted in her, referring to other Dolls.
  • “You’ve got 100 people living inside your head and you’re the loneliest person I know” – Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) to Echo.
  • “(She) spoke to the schizophrenic in me. Both of them, actually” – Alpha.
  • “You sure you got room?” – Paul to Echo after she imprints herself with his personality.
 
Other observations about this episode:
 
  • This is the second series finale of a Joss Whedon show Eliza Dushku and Felicia Day appeared in together, the first being the 2003 series finale to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
  • Zone was played by Zack Ward, best known as the bully Scut Farkus from the 1983 holiday classic A Christmas Story.
  • Nate Dushku, Eliza’s older brother, played Clive Ambrose (a role originated by Philip Casnoff) in a new body.
  • Co-writer Maurissa Tancharoen appeared as a character named Kilo.
  • The tech-heads’ look had to be inspired by the above-mentioned The Road Warrior.
 
Many characters’ stories ended with satisfaction, particularly Topher (Fran Kranz). Broken by the Rossum Corporation, whose lackeys shot one person in front of Topher per day in order to motivate him to finish his work. When he develops a pulse-bomb that would restore all the Dolls’ original personalities (however, if Echo stays underground, she’s protected from the fallout and won’t lose all her other personality imprints), the cost of activating it would be his own life. He doesn’t want to cause any more pain. Turns out, Topher is a good guy after all.
 
Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams) and Zone (Zack Ward) are the ones who will guide the newly-deactivated Dolls in the brave new world. Zone vows to protect the kid who was once Caroline. Adelle compares herself to a Shepard, saying it’s fitting the last fantasy the Dollhouse caters to is Echo’s. That it is.
 
Priya (Dichen Lachman) and Tony/Victor (Enver Gjokaj) come full circle as they’re reunited and their son T’s (Brandon Dieter) parentage is revealed. Take note as they’re one of the few characters in Whedon shows getting a happy ending.
 
Echo has a good ending, although sad. Paul is shot and killed trying to save a wounded Mag (Felicia Day). Echo regrets never letting him in and never telling him she loved him. However, at the end, she downloads Paul’s personality into her. In the mindscape, she tells him that he always told her to let him in, to which Paul asks if she has room, especially since he has plenty of emotional baggage from childhood.
 
Echo optimistically replies they can work through it as they have plenty of time now, especially since the world’s been restored to some degree of normalcy thanks to Topher’s device. With music playing in the background (I couldn’t find out who the artist was), Echo heads down to the sleeping area, a faint smile on her lips, and goes to sleep. A somewhat happy ending for Echo, now at peace since she finally took down the Dollhouse and is reunited with Paul in a sense.
 
To ruin this moment for me, this scene was abruptly cut in my neck of the woods (Detroit) and the credits rolled, advertising the season premiere of Kitchen Nightmares, God help us all.
 
Unlike Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, it’s a safe bet fans’ll never see the Dollhouse characters again.
To turn around Caroline’s one quote, “We’re gone, not lost.” Sadly, that’s true. Whedon himself said in an interview that Dollhouse doesn’t lend itself well to the comics medium. It’s unlikely there will be novels like the Star Trek franchise since its audience isn’t as big.
 
USA Today critic Robert Bianco wrote that “(Dollhouse is something) that Joss Whedon’s most devoted fans will debate and embrace, and a mass audience just won't get.” How true that is; he hit that one on the nose.
 
Thanks to Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku and the rest of the actors and creators for a fun ride (Joss, let’s hope your next series doesn’t get hamstrung). Too bad it’s over too soon, but at least the series had closure unlike many out there.
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1 
LooneyBinJIm 1/30/2010 9:04:13 PM

A pretty good ending to an excellent show. Ballard's death kinda reopened old wounds with me (a la Derrick from TTSCC). I agree in that they should have made this longer to explain Alpha's and Victor's changes.

I wonder if Joss originally planned Dollhouse as a two season series all along? Or did he have a five year plan that had to be shortened?

Although it probably won't happen, I think Dollhouse could work as an animated series (or anime). Hate to see the show go. Another one bites the dust.

redhairs99 1/31/2010 2:44:53 PM

It was good for the time they had, but I agree that they really needed more time to explain what happened with Alpha and how he became allies with Echo.  Victor, I think they explained the path he chose, but still it would be nice to have a little more time for explanations.

swisshammer 1/31/2010 10:25:23 PM

The season finale frustrated me. I'm not upset so much with the writers, because lord knows they did what they could with the little time they had left. I'm more upset with FOX. This should could have been really, really good if FOX just gave them a little more time to sort everything out. Once again, FOX ruins it for everyone.

I did have some serious problems with the finale. This didn't feel like what Dollhouse had been building up to the last 2 years. Again, part of that is because they had to rush to finish the story. But... I don't know... the apocalypse seems a little too much for me to handle with this show. It was mostly lighthearted and funny, and all of a sudden... BOOM... THE APOCALYPSE!!! Yeah, whatever.

And the way they dealt with Alpha pissed me off. He was such a good badguy. The conclusion of his story was just plain weak.

I guess I'm more upset that the show left some things unfinished than I am that the show was canceled to begin with.

Oh, and killing Tamoh Peniket? Lame.

LooneyBinJIm 2/1/2010 12:32:05 PM

It seems Joss wants to (but never gets a chance to) tell an apocalyse story.

Buffy stops the apocalypse. Show is cancelled.

Angel tries to stop the apocalypse. Puts a dent in it. Show gets cancelled.

Dollhouse tries to stop the apocalypse. Ends up creating the apocalypse. Stops it in a rushed ending. Show gets cancelled.

I could have easily seen Dollhouse spending two-three seasons leading up to Epitaph One and two-three seasons leading up to Epitaph Two. Maybe if another network optioned, he could do a continuation/reboot (called Dollhouse: Lost Engagements perhaps)

If he decides to ever make Frey into a show. PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE let him tell his damn story!!

redhairs99 2/1/2010 3:01:52 PM

Or he does tell a story about the apocalypse, but it's the "B" story and the audience only gets glimpses and partial recounts of the event from the rest of the cast. 

Hobbs 2/2/2010 8:56:00 AM

Did they skip an episode because of the Haiti fundraiser last week?  All of a sudden I'm watching it and Caroline is a kid with two characters I've never seen before.  Clearly missed an episode somewhere.

Overall it worked but like you are saying they could have done better with a two hour finale.

Sounds like its over...dont think they have an audience like they did for Firefly to continue anything.  At least from everything I'm reading. 

redhairs99 2/2/2010 10:35:54 AM

Hobbs, you missed the unaired season one finale that's on the DVD called Epitaph. That's where we meet the little girl her two companions and it's the first look at the future. Other than that you didn't miss anything.
 

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